


Twelve

by NightLady



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:46:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightLady/pseuds/NightLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve is a special number that is associated with many aspects of our lives. There are twelve months in a year; Twelve numbers on an analog clock. The sixty minutes in an hour and twenty-four hours in a day are both multiples of twelve. Well, you get the idea. Here are twelve one-shots revolving around the lives of our Queen and her Savior, as well as their family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. January - New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onceupon_myfeels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceupon_myfeels/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything related to Once Upon A Time.
> 
> This work is dedicated to once-upon-my-feels/once-upon-tass-feels on tumblr. I'm her Secret Santa for the onceuponasecretsanta event. :)
> 
> I apologise in advance for any mistakes.
> 
> This takes place about a month after Regina spoke to Zelena in the cell. Established Swan Queen and Zelena doesn't die.

“Damn, Sister, this lasagna is really good,” Grumpy commented as he took another bite and literally moaned out loud.

Regina simply chuckled and shook her head, as though it was an everyday sight that the Evil Queen would be laughing with the dwarf.

“I've told you before. The red pepper flakes gives it…” She began before Leroy interrupted her.

“Gives it a bit of a kick,” He grinned. His repetition of what she had said over a year ago earned him one of Regina’s trademark smirks. The smirk was wiped off her face almost immediately as strong arms wrapped around her waist, engulfing her in a warm hug from behind. Regina didn't have to turn to know that the culprit was her Savior.

_Her Savior._ She loves how that sounds. Emma and Regina has only been dating for two months and Regina already considers herself to be the happiest woman in the world. After denying the attraction towards each other for more than a year, it wasn’t surprising that the two women couldn’t stand being apart for long.

Regina turned around and wrapped her arms around Emma’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss. Leroy was now finding his lasagna extremely interesting, studying it intensely to avoid the awkwardness of watching the two women kiss. Having to watch Snow and Charming over the years was already bad enough.

“Hi,” Emma smiled at her girlfriend after they pulled apart from each other.

“Hello. Miss me already?” Regina said before pressing a chaste kiss on Emma’s lips.

Emma’s smiled widened, “Well, yes, but that’s not what I’m here for. Well, not exactly…”

“Oh?” Regina raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, well, you might want to have a chat with your sister before she actually leaves,” Emma tilted her head slightly in the direction of the booth where Zelena was currently sitting in alone.

“Oh. Oh… I see. I’ll talk to you later, darling,” Regina said, her eyes never leaving her sister. She moved across the diner and sat down in the seat opposite Zelena.

Regina felt a slight tug in her heart. The situation she had just put Zelena in was awfully familiar to her. How could she not have realized that? She was in the same situation as that back when they had a celebration for Snow and Emma’s return from the Enchanted Forest. She had been invited but left when she realized how unwelcome she was then. She had felt like an outcast and was now doing the same to Zelena by inviting her here and then expecting her to fit in easily and socialize with the townsfolk. She sighed, realizing that it was probably time to have that long-awaited talk with her sister.

“Hello, Zelena. I’m glad you could make it tonight,” Regina began, only to earn herself an eye roll from Zelena.

“Oh, cut the crap, Sis. I was about to leave so if you have anything to say, you better do it quickly.”

“I’m sorry I left you alone here. I… Well, I forgot what it was like to be the villain trying to turn over a new leaf and trying to get people to recognize that you’re changing,” Regina was trying to apologize for once. She genuinely wanted to help Zelena change for the better and she knew that it was easier if there were people around to help stand up for her, just as Emma had done so for herself.

“Yeah, whatever,” Zelena said as she stood up to leave.

“Zelena, please. Stay for a while more,” Regina sighed. When Zelena stopped and sat back down, the former Queen continued, “I’m really glad that you took up on my offer on the second chance. It’s very nice to have another family member in town.”

Zelena appeared slightly surprised by the sudden turn in the conversation. She had expected Regina to simply ask her to stay and then leave to socialize with other townsfolk.

“Well, I’m not sure how true that is.”

In the past few weeks since Zelena was released from her cell after accepting the second chance, Regina had barely spoken to her other than to invite her here. Even after she had arrived, Zelena still felt like an outcast and wondered if she may have been better off not coming here anyway.

Regina heard what Zelena said and felt slightly guilty. She had put off a much-awaited conversation with Zelena because she wasn’t very sure how she should go about it. Instead, she had been focusing on helping out with rebuilding the clock tower, as well as working on mayoral matters.

“I know I’ve been really distant since I spoke to you in the jail cell. I’ve been meaning to do this, but I guess I haven’t been able to find the courage to,” Regina sent her sister a small smile.

“Is this a conversation where I’ll need a drink to get through?”

Regina smirked, “Perhaps. I’ve never had a sibling before. And I know that you grew up without anything and all you’ve ever wanted was to have family members who care about you. I really don’t know what I should do to show my sister that I care and oh gods, I think I may need a drink as well…”

With a flick of her hand, two glasses of Apple Cider appeared in front of the two witches. Regina took a sip of hers and continued, “You should try my Apple Cider. It’s the best Apple Cider you’ll ever drink.”

Zelena raised an eyebrow before taking a sip and smirking at Regina, “It’s sickly sweet. I bet you used red apples instead of green ones.”

Regina let out a low chuckle and shook her head.

“Well, where was I? Ah, yes… I’d like us to start over on a clean slate. I’d love to get to know my sister, and learn things about her. It would be nice to have you as part of the family. I’d try my best to help you ease into life in this town and we can spend more time together doing what sisters usually do. Hell, you can even come to the mansion for family dinners whenever you want. I know it all sounds cheesy but I’d like to make up for the lost time that Mother took away from us. So, what do you say?”

Zelena appeared speechless for once. When she had finally digested what Regina just said, she broke into a grin, “Well, that was quite the word vomit, Sis. Although yes, it would be nice to actually start behaving like family.”

A relieved smile appeared on Regina’s face.

“Well, here’s to new beginnings,” Zelena brought her glass of cider up in a toast, which Regina gladly returned.

“To new beginnings indeed.” 


	2. February – The Season of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma tries to set up the perfect date for Regina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Look, Ruby, it has to be perfect. You know how high her standards are and if it’s anything less than perfect, I don’t know what I’d do,” Emma sighed as she frantically look around, seemingly ticking items off a mental checklist.

It was the first Valentines’ Day that Emma was celebrating with Regina and she wanted her surprise to be perfect. She has already informed Regina of their date but this was much more important than just a date. Regina had been spending a lot of time working lately, with the clean-up of the aftermath of the fight against their latest villain and other mayoral tasks. Emma knew that Regina badly needed time to relax and she was going to make sure that she did everything in her power to make their Valentine’s Day perfect and relaxing for her girlfriend.

In the past month, they had to take down Sidney on top of trying to protect everyone in town. The genie had somehow managed to break out of the asylum and gain access to an extremely dark and powerful magical weapon. The final battle had resulted in Emma getting injured and Regina having to cope with being a Mayor, a Mother, helping with the clean-up and taking care of Emma. Thus, Emma had decided that today, she would be the one taking care of her true love.

“Don’t worry, Emma. It will be perfect. Even if something goes wrong, Regina wouldn’t mind because you’re all she needs. Look, just remember to ring the bell later and I’ll bring the food up. You already have the best room in the diner for a quiet date; Zelena has Henry tonight and everything is prepared already. All you have to do is relax and go pick up your lady love,” Ruby tried to assure her best friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The diner?” Regina glanced at Emma, raising her eyebrow in question.

Emma shrugged. “It’s the last place you’d think I’d bring you to for a date.”

“Actually, I beg to differ. There’re plenty of other places in Storybrooke that I can think of. My vault, for example.”

“Okay, maybe not the last place,” Emma grinned as she led Regina to the back of the Diner. Regina was now even more confused. She had no idea what Emma has in plan, since her girlfriend refused to tell her the details other than what time she was picking her up. The next thing she knew, they stopped right in front of the doors to one of the rooms and Emma covered Regina’s eyes with her hands.

“Now, no peeking,” Emma whispered into her ear, causing the brunette to shiver in anticipation.

Emma planted a kiss on Regina’s neck before gently leading her into the room. Regina gasped in surprise when Emma finally allowed her to open her eyes.

“Oh, Emma,” she cried. “This is beautiful.”

Regina then pulled Emma in for a kiss. The once-plain room has been revamped for their date. The bed, which was previously situated in the middle, had been shifted to the side. Rose petals littered the crisp, white sheets. Taking its original place is a hot tub and the final addition to the room was a quaint dining table. Candles had been lit around the room, giving it a romantic glow.

“How did you do this?” Regina asked as she melted into Emma’s embrace.

“Magic,” Emma laughed. “Apparently, it doesn’t take much to use magic to shift furniture and to make a hot tub appear.”

“I guess I should’ve known,” Regina smiled lovingly at Emma. She brought her hand up to Emma’s cheek, stroking it softly. “Thank you, darling. This is perfect. All I wanted was to have dinner with you and for us to spend some time together after the past couple of weeks but this? This is much more than what I expected.”

Emma leaned into the touch, “I’m glad you like it. Now, shall we get dinner started or would you like to get in the tub first?”

Regina chuckled when she saw the glint in Emma’s eyes. “I’m starving so some dinner will be good. We can perhaps have dessert in the hot tub later, or something,” Regina winked at Emma before taking a seat at the dinner table.

“Well, I like the idea or dessert and the ‘or something’,” Emma grinned before texting Ruby to get her to serve them their dinner.


	3. March

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 Notes

Snow opened the door to see a nervous Regina standing outside.

“Regina, what brings you here?” She asked, puzzled. Snow stepped aside to let the other brunette in.

“Is Emma here?”

“No, she’s at work. Like she should be. Why?” Snow replied, clearly confused by Regina’s strange demeanor.

Regina’s relief was palpable and she was visibly less nervous. “Good. I need to speak to you and Charming.”

Snow was concerned now. What was Regina here for and why was she relieved that Emma wasn’t here? A series of worst-case-scenarios crossed her mind and she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are you breaking up with Emma? Is that why you’re here? Oh my god! Are you sick or something?”

Snow continued to ramble on with the various circumstances that came to mind. Regina simply shook her head and rolled her eyes just as David came downstairs.

“Regina? What are you doing here?”

“I would explain if you can kindly stop your wife from over thinking things,” Regina replied in a clearly bored tone. David managed to calm Snow down from her ramblings and they both looked at Regina expectantly, waiting for her explanation regarding her appearance at the apartment.

“Well,” Regina began, “You know how Emma and I have been dating for over a year and…”

Snow interrupted before Regina could continue, “Oh my god, you’re breaking up with her!”

“No! Seriously, Snow, will you just let me speak for once?” Regina exclaimed, exasperated with her former stepchild. Snow clamped her mouth shut and had the decency to look guilty.

“Thank you. So, Emma and I have been dating for over a year and we’re both pretty sure that we’re each other’s true love…” Regina was once again interrupted by Snow, this time by her excited squealing. She rolled her eyes before continuing, “Anyway, I think it’s time to propose – SNOW! What the hell?”

She had barely gotten the word ‘propose’ out when the other brunette practically tackled her over on the sofa in a tight hug. Regina froze and frowned at Charming, beckoning him for help. David simply chuckled and gently pried his wife away from the other woman.

“Now I can breathe,” Regina quipped. “So, I’d like to propose to her but I also think that it’s important to ask her parents for her hand in marriage first.”

Snow gasped, Regina’s words seemingly successful in finally rendering her speechless. Charming broke into a grin, “Thank you, Regina. We really appreciate you coming to us first. And yes, we gladly give you all the approval you require.”

All Snow could do was nod enthusiastically in agreement with Charming’s words. Regina broke into a wide smile - one that was rarely revealed to anyone other than Emma and Henry.

“Thank you. Your approval means a lot to Emma,” Regina said earnestly. “Of course, I’d still have gone ahead with the proposal even if the two of you disapproved,” She quickly added, not wanting to be viewed as becoming too soft-hearted in front of the Charmings.

Snow, of course, saw through that. All of a sudden, she let out a high-pitched squeal and hug Regina again, “We have a wedding to plan! You’re going to be part of the family!”

This time, Regina let Snow hold on to her for as long as she needs. “You do know that I haven’t even bought the engagement ring, don’t you?” She drawled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I know you probably think that you’re the last one in the world who I’ll bring ring shopping on, but between you and Snow, I think the choice is obvious,” Regina said as the pair strode into the Jeweler.

“I’m actually more surprised that you didn’t bring Tink or Ruby,” David shrugged as he approached one of the glass cases to look at what they had to offer.

“Bringing Miss Lucas along is akin to broadcasting this to the entire town, although I must admit that her taste isn’t so bad. As for Tink, I might as well have brought Snow along instead,” Regina replied. She was studying each glass case intently, determined to find the perfect ring for Emma.

“Besides, Emma takes after you in more ways than you think. What do you think of this?” Regina pointed to a silver band with a princess cut Emerald set on top. David walked over to take a look at the ring.

“The emerald will bring out the color of Emma’s eyes, but I’m not sure if it’s something she would like,” He pondered out loud. Regina nodded, taking in his opinion. She then moved on to the next glass case.

The pair spent the next hour or so in the shop, narrowing down their choices before finally settling on what they felt was the perfect ring for Emma. They had chosen a simple diamond ring, with two small sapphire gems set on either side of the diamond. It wasn’t too flashy, neither was it too simple. It was the perfect balance and it was a ring that suited Emma really well. David got the sales assistant to wrap it up before Regina paid for it.

“It took us so long but I think this is perfect,” Regina smiled as they exited the shop.

“Well, I’m sure that Emma will love any ring that you get her,” David grinned, happy that he got a chance to help select his daughter’s engagement ring.

“Now, I've just got the date to plan…” Regina muttered to herself.


	4. April

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelena takes Cora off Emma and Regina's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes

“Please, Zelena, just take Cora for the day. We really need that time alone,” Emma was practically pouting and Regina simply stood next to her, laughing.

“Oh, alright! I’ll take her,” Zelena rolled her eyes at Emma’s pleas.

They had somehow managed to get Cora back when Belle discovered a spell to counter the candle, which had apparently been a curse with effects similar to that of the sleeping curse. Regina was immensely relieved that she hadn’t cremated her mother’s body but instead, placed it with her father’s body. Zelena and Regina got to work immediately, both excited at having a second chance with their Mother. It was a long shot, but this time, with her heart in its place, both sisters were certain that the revived Cora would be much less evil.

Sure, Cora was now the loving mother they all wanted, but that did not mean that the darkness in her was completely gone. It was simply exuded in other ways. Cora, having only spent less than a month in twenty-first century Storybrooke, was puzzled by the new technology and had taken to destroying quite a few property. Regina, Zelena and Emma have had their hands full trying to minimise the damage by Cora’s hands for the entire two weeks since her revival. Zelena, for one, was grateful that her mother was staying at the mansion, rather than her farmhouse.

The mansion had been ‘cora-proofed’, as Emma called it. After Cora had melted the TV with magic on her first day, Regina had taken to hiding as much of the electronics and appliances as she could. The microwave and coffee-maker has been hidden in one of the cabinets, covered with a simple cloaking spell. All the remaining TVs, speakers and similar electronics had been moved to the den and the garage, both of which were locked with magic. Regina especially did not want Cora in the garage; Her Mercedes meant too much to risk that. Regina had literally taken four hours to convince her mother that the oven and stove would not harm her in anyway, and another six hours just to explain how they worked. Those were the only appliances left untouched.

The couple had forgotten about the washing machine and dryer, both of which suffered immense damage when Cora pressed the wrong button and proceeded to using brute force to stop the foam from spilling out. That was an expensive lesson for Regina. With all the craziness going on in the house, it wasn’t surprising that the Emma and Regina haven’t had sex since Cora’s revival and alone time was something both were desperate for (although Regina refused to admit it).

“Awesome! Have I told you how much I love you, Zelena?” Emma was practically jumping with joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cora sat nervously in the passenger seat of the car. She was glancing around, her eyes darting from the dashboard to the steering wheel to the car door. Zelena got into the car and started the engine, causing Cora to yelp in surprise.

“Don’t worry, Mother. This is safe. I thought Regina mentioned that you’ve been in one of these before?” Zelena said as she began to drive off.

“I have, but that does not mean I have to like it. Honestly, these contraptions feel like death traps. Why couldn’t we just use magic to travel around?” Cora complained, gripping the edge of the cushioned seat tightly.

“I am beginning to wish that I did that,” Zelena muttered.

The two of them decided to head into Granny’s for lunch before Zelena would show Cora around town. Cora hadn’t been allowed to see much of the town. Regina had insisted that she remain at the mansion until she got used to all these new and quirky things before she actually socialises in an environment filled with them.

“Zelena! What a pleasant surprise! Oh, hello, Cora,” Ruby chirped from her position behind the bar. Zelena guided her mother to one of the booths nearer to the back before waving happily to Ruby. She had found an unexpected friend in Ruby and she was definitely one of the only people who were nice to Zelena.

“People actually eat these stuff?” Cora marvelled aloud. “It’s like a heart-attack on a plate.”

“Mother!” scolded Zelena, “Yes, people eat these. Not everyone is as health-conscious as you and Regina are. If any, Emma, Henry and I eat these too. I suggest you try it too.”

Cora’s lips visibly thinned into a line. “Very well, I shall have this Quarter Pounder thing. With a salad on the side.”

Zelena smiled triumphantly and beckoned Ruby over. “Hey Ruby, how’s it going? Can we have two quarter pounders with cheese and side salads please?”

“Sure you don’t want fries instead?” Ruby grinned.

“Nah, not today.”

With that, Ruby went off to place their orders and returned ten minutes later with their food. Cora was eating her burger like a lady would, much to Zelena’s chagrin. Cora looked up at Zelena in surprise, her eyes widening as she chewed on her first bite of the burger.

“This…This is amazing,” She whispered, as though afraid that anyone would mock her if they were to hear that. Zelena simply replied with a laugh.

They headed to the park afterwards, seeing that Cora had been to the docks plenty of times before and there weren’t much things to see around town anyway. Besides, they were less likely to come into contact with any appliances or electronics in the park.

They had been sitting on the bench, chatting, when Zelena had to step aside to answer a phone call. The next thing she knew, Cora had pushed her aside, crying, “Not my daughter, you bitch.”

She stared at the remote-controlled airplane that was now falling from the air, having been incinerated mid-flight with magic thirty feet away from them. Zelena was so shocked she could only gape at the burning plane in front of her.

“Hello? Zelena? Are you still there?” Regina asked, having heard the commotion.

“Um, Regina, I’m going to have to call you back,” With that, she ended the call before Regina could utter another word.

“Mother! Seriously?”

“It was coming towards you! The winged beast was about to ambush you!” Cora defended her actions.

“It’s thirty feet away! And it’s just a small toy plane,” Zelena replied exasperatedly.

“I was trying to protect you!” Cora exclaimed, now visibly upset. A young boy was now crying as he saw the state his plane was in. With a wave of her hand, the boy’s plane was repaired to be as good as new with Zelena’s magic.

Zelena sighed and pulled Cora in for a hug. The hug was slightly awkward, since neither of them were the types for hugs. Yet, it still warmed their hearts considerably. “I know, Mother. I know you care. Thank you,” Zelena said.

“Regina is going to kill me right?”

“Perhaps. You did scare the poor boy.”


	5. May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina has two left feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes

“C’mon, Regina. It’s just some simple dance moves. Just move your body to the rhythm of the song. It’ll go well!” Emma said excitedly as she dragged an apprehensive Regina up the stairs towards the only dance studio in Storybrooke. She had incidentally stumbled upon this gem on one of her runs through the town, and had been more than excited to sign up for classes there. She had even taken the liberty to sign Regina up.

“Em-ma…I’ve told you before. There’s a reason why I haven’t stepped into this place once in the entire 30 years I’ve been here,” Regina was practically whining. She really did not want to attend the classes, even if it meant forgoing the money used in their lesson fees. There was something about the former queen that no one knew: Regina had two left feet. She could not dance to save her life.

Emma knew, of course. Regina had told her the moment she informed her wife that she had taken the liberty to sign the both of them up for dance classes. That did not mean that she believed that Regina was that bad at dancing. After all, she did master all those ballroom dances right?

“Don’t worry, Regina. You’ll be fine. You did pick up all those ballroom dances in the Enchanted Forest,” Emma said confidently as they stepped into the quaint dance studio. A woman in her early fifties was waiting for them and when she saw Regina, her smile fell and she let out an audible, “Oh.”

Regina immediately turned around, determined to head outside when she saw her former dance tutor. Alas, she was stopped by Emma, who dragged her to the middle of the studio.

“Hello, Mrs. Goldenberg. We’re ready to begin the lesson,” Emma smiled brightly at the lady who was now looking weakly between the couple. She sighed and prayed to the gods that the blonde would be a thousand times easier to teach than her former student.

To her relief, Emma was surprisingly good at dancing. The blonde woman picked up each move almost immediately. Regina, on the other hand, required a miracle. Mrs. Goldenberg knew how difficult dancing was to the woman, especially when she had to spend years teaching the brunette all the dances a queen was required to know. Modern dance, on the other hand, was something she was almost certain Regina will never master. The woman just wasn’t dance material.

Emma saw how much trouble Mrs. Goldenberg was having trying to teach Regina the first few steps of the dance when she had already learnt everything. Thus, she decided to take things into her own hands and give the poor old woman a break.

“Look, sweetheart, let’s just work on your footwork first. You cross your right leg over your left, and try to shuffle over to the left like that,” Emma said, gently guiding her wife’s right leg over the left with her hand. Regina had just started to try moving to the left when she stumbled but Emma caught her securely in her arms.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Now you try that again, and I’ll keep catching you until you get it right,” Emma smiled at a frustrated Regina, who was frowning at her legs. They tried several more times until Regina had more or less gotten the gist of it. Mrs. Goldenberg was pleasantly surprised. She had honestly thought that Regina would require another lesson before she got that step right.

“Okay, that’s brilliant, babe. Now you move your hands like you’re dribbling a ball, whilst you’re doing the shuffle. Like this,” Emma explained before demonstrating. If Regina wasn’t so intent on getting the step right, she would probably be scolding Emma for calling her ‘babe’.

Regina tried to do as Emma had said, and had found her coordination to be a little off. Emma helped to correct her wife’s stance and moves, and it took a few more tries before Regina finally managed to do it on her own. When Regina finally managed to do the shuffle, she looked at Emma in amazement before pulling the blonde in for a deep kiss.

They finally pulled away when Mrs. Goldenberg interrupted by clapping her hands. “Well done, Regina. I honestly thought that it would take you much longer than that. We’ll work on the next step next lesson. I’m sure that with your wife’s help, both of you will master the song by the end of the course.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Goldenberg. See you next lesson,” Regina said earnestly. She knew how much trouble she had given the poor woman in the past. Emma thanked the woman as well, before the pair left the dance studio.

“Well, that didn’t go as bad as I thought it would,” Regina smiled.

“Are you kidding me? I honestly didn’t think you were this bad at dancing…” Emma teased with a wink.

“Well, don’t blame me for that. I tried to warn you,” Regina shrugged. “But seriously, this is the first time I learnt a step this quickly. Did you see how pleasantly surprised Mrs. Goldenberg was?”

“Well, I take full credit for that, babe. I take full credit,” Emma grinned before giving her wife a hug and a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Call me babe again and you’re sleeping on the couch tonight,” Regina said nonchalantly before walking away, leaving Emma standing there speechless.

“Hey, wait up!”


	6. June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Oh god, can it get any hotter?” Emma cried as she increased the speed at which she was fanning herself with the sheet of paper.

“Don’t jinx it, Emma, don’t jinx it,” Snow replied. Her face was all red from the heat and she was lying on the pristine marble floor of the mansion.

“I’m sure some iced lemonade would help,” Regina smiled as she brought in a tray of glasses filled with the beverage. Cora followed closely behind with the jug of lemonade.

Emma was the first to leap to her feet and grab a glass before chugging it down immediately. “Regina, honey, have I told you how much of a lifesaver you are?” She said as she poured herself another glass.

“Hey! Why do you get apple juice and we get lemonade?” Snow whined when she saw that Regina was drinking apple juice instead.

Regina simply chuckled, “Really, Snow, I thought you’d be averse to anything apple-related by now. Wait, what are you even doing in my house?”

Snow’s cheeks look like they could not get any redder. “Well, air-condition and cool marble floors. How do you look like that in this heat anyway?”

“What the hell?” Regina frowned at her mother-in-law’s random question.

Cora simply chuckled and said proudly, “I taught her well, and she has my genes.”

Emma was studiously running her eyes over Regina. Regina let out a yelp when Emma pulled her down such that she landed on Emma’s lap.

“Yup, my wife is always this perfect and hot,” Emma grinned, her arms wrapping around Regina’s waist securely.

“Really, Moms, really? You guys can’t stop being this mushy for like, five minutes?” Henry groaned when he came downstairs to see his mother sitting on his other mother’s lap.

“Let me think… Nope,” Emma replied defiantly before planting a kiss on Regina’s cheek.

Henry simply rolled his eyes and took a glass of lemonade from the table. Cora’s laughter caught the trio’s attention and they turned to see Snow lying on the floor with her hands covering her face.

“Really, Snow, I would have thought that you would behave more like a princess, or even a queen. And shouldn’t you have gotten used to their public displays of affection by now?” Cora quipped, earning a chuckle from Regina.

“In my defence, I was on the run for many years and this floor really helps to cool me down significantly. And no, I will probably never get used to my daughter doing that to anybody,” Snow replied.

“Cora, you know that you can use the abbreviation for PDA right?” Emma said.

Regina turned to look at her wife quizzically, “Was that all you got from the entire conversation?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps you were simply too distracting,” Emma smirked.

“And the hot weather gives me the perfect excuse to want to undress you,” She may have whispered that last part but Snow, Cora and Henry still heard her clearly and they all groaned.

“Okay, I’m out of here. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking the entire jug of lemonade to Charming,” Snow said before escaping the house as quickly as she could with the jug.

“I’ll be in my room,” Henry ran upstairs immediately.

Cora shook her head at the sight and laughed, “I’ll be heading to my room too. I hope that you two remember the silencing spell. Really, once was enough.”

Regina watched her son and mother go upstairs. She then got off of Emma and whispered in her wife’s ears seductively, “You know, it is the perfect weather to take an afternoon nap, naked.”

With that, she left for their room, walking with an exaggerated sway in her hips. Emma gulped and followed quickly behind her wife, repressing the urge to simply attack her before they were safely in the confines of their room.


	7. July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina has never celebrated Fourth of July.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Are you serious? You’ve never celebrated Fourth of July?” Emma exclaimed when Regina expressed that she has heard of the holiday but has never experienced any part of the celebrations herself.

“I don’t see how that is surprising. We do live in a town full of fairy tale characters,” Regina drawled.

“In Maine. Which is in America. We live in America. Really?”

Regina sighed. She was on the verge of being offended by Emma’s reaction.

“Yes, really,” With that, Regina sat down on the couch and began flipping through the channels in hopes of finding a suitable programme to watch.

Sensing the change in Regina’s mood, Emma decided to stop commenting and take action instead.

“Henry! Get down here!” She hollered.

A confused Regina stared at her as Henry came running down the stairs, wondering what was it that he did wrong and at the same time, slightly annoyed with his birth mother for her timing. He had been about to break his high score.

“What is it, Ma?”

“Your mom has never celebrated Fourth of July,” She simply stated.

Regina rolled her eyes and went back to flipping through channels. If Emma was going to continue her mocking, she’d rather be doing something more productive than listening to her girlfriend.

“I… know that,” A puzzled Henry replied.

“So we are going to celebrate it together in Storybrooke and show her how it’s done!” exclaimed a clearly excited Emma. Regina looked up at Emma in surprise.

“What? Did you think I was going to let you remain clueless about what Fourth of July celebrations are like when even Henry got to experience it in New York?” She smiled and leaned down to kiss Regina.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regina smiled as she watched Emma and Henry run around the beach, busy preparing the fireworks for later that evening. It took Emma awhile to convince her that it was not as dangerous as she thought it was before Regina had relented and allowed Henry to help. Tearing her eyes away from her family, she dug into the picnic basket and took out the food that Emma had insisted they prepare. (And by insisting that ‘they’ prepare the food, it usually meant that Emma watched whilst Regina placed healthier versions of the food Emma suggested on.) Regina had refused to pack both hotdogs and burgers and thus, they had conceded on homemade burgers. They had also packed one of Regina’s apple pies and some salad.  

Just after the sun has set, Emma sat down beside Regina and nudged her gently. “It’s time for you to light them.”

Regina grinned and summoned a tiny fireball. With magic, her aim was more than accurate and within minutes, the sky lit up with a beautiful display of fireworks. Both women leaned into each other’s embrace as they watched the stunning display together. Henry was cheering from where he had been standing several feet away.

When the last of the fireworks had gone off, Regina smiled and leaned her forehead against Emma’s.

“That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with me.”


	8. August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blankie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Regina?” Emma called out as she entered the house. Henry had given her his key so that she can grab a book for him. He had forgotten to bring it to school and was required to submit it so she had offered to help get it for him and pass it to him when she picked him up.

The lack of response led to Emma thinking that no one was home. She knew that Regina did not have to go to the office today but other than that, she had no idea what her girlfriend was up to today.

“Regina?” She called out again, just to ensure that the brunette was indeed not at home. When she was, once again, greeted by complete silence, Emma decided that now would be the perfect chance to explore the mansion. She has been to all the rooms on the first floor countless times but has yet have had the opportunity to explore the rooms upstairs. Now that no one was home, she could do whatever she wanted.

The first door she opened led her to a guest room. The walls were a pristine white like the outside of the mansion and a four-poster bed was placed near the windows. The décor of the room was kept as simple as possible and other than the bed, a closet and a vanity, there wasn’t very much to find in the room.

She moved on to the second door, which was revealed to be Henry’s room. Making a mental note to return to the room when she was done exploring, she moved on to the third door.

Emma let out a soft gasp of surprise when she was greeted with a sleeping Regina. What surprised her was that Regina, of all people, was clutching a piece of cloth that was frayed at the edges as she slept. Regina Mills has a blankie! Emma’s heart swelled with love at the sight of how adorable her girlfriend looked.

Smiling, she removed her boots and jacket before climbing into bed behind Regina and spooning her. She felt the brunette tense in her arms and whispered, “Shh… It’s okay. It’s just me. Go back to sleep.”

Regina’s eyes widened when she realised who it was. Her grip around her blankie tightened and she squeaked, “Emma?!”

This could not be happening. No one was supposed to see her with her blankie, especially Emma, of all people! She only took it out when she really needed comfort and having had a rough day at work yesterday, she decided that she needed the tiny item. She tried to squirm out of her girlfriend’s embrace but Emma only held on more securely.

“Hey, relax, Regina. You don’t have to be ashamed of it or hide it from me. Now we match. I’ve got my baby blanket and you’ve got your blankie,” Emma said with a grin before giving Regina a quick peck on the cheek.

“Plus, I think it’s adorable,” Emma whispered. She smiled when she felt Regina relax. When Regina turned around, Emma saw that the woman was blushing. Regina gave Emma a shy kiss before snuggling into her with her hands still clutching her blankie to her chest.

“I love you, Emma,” Regina mumbled before falling back asleep.

“I love you too, Regina.”


	9. September

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes

“Mother!” Regina called out from the kitchen.

Cora sighed and rolled her eyes. She leaned further back against the couch and turned up the volume on the television.

“Mother!” Another voice called out for her, the volume slightly softer due to the sounds from the TV and the fact that it came from upstairs.

Cora let out another sigh and closed her eyes. She had some ideas as to what each of her daughters wanted but she was simply not in the mood to cater to their requests.

She must have been really out of it for the next thing she knew, she was letting out a yelp of fright and jumping from her seat on the couch. Both Regina and Zelena had taken to screaming for her right next to her ears.

“Seriously, girls. I would like to think that I raised the two of you to be better than that. Scaring your poor, old mother like this,” She huffed.

Regina simply chuckled whilst Zelena retorted, “Technically, you didn’t raise me, Mother.”

“I know, my dear. And that remains one of my greatest regrets in life to date,” Cora said sadly, giving Zelena’s hand a small squeeze.

“I know that the two of you like to reminisce about the past but it’s all over. There’s no used crying over spilt milk. Now, can we get down to business?” Regina interrupted impatiently.

“Let’s get down to business,” Cora half-sang.

“To defeat the Huns,” Zelena added with a smirk as Regina let out an exasperated sigh. Of course this would happen to her. Her Mother and Sister have been on multiple Disney movie marathons over the past few weeks.

“Can you help me with my bread now, Mother?”

“Oh! You’re making bread? Let me guess, Apple Cinnamon?” Zelena grinned.

“So predictable, as always, Sis. You have to stop mashing the flavours associated with the Saviour and yourself together,” Zelena teased, smirking at Regina, who was now blushing furiously and glaring at her.

“Like I said, green apples are bitter,” Regina retorted childishly.

“Children! Stop this nonsense immediately. Zelena, stop teasing your poor sister. And Regina… Just… Stop,” Cora scolded, shutting both her daughters up effectively.

“Now, what’s wrong with your bread?”

“Technically, nothing’s wrong. At least, Emma and Henry and probably even Zelena wouldn’t be able to tell that it’s not up to standards if they were to taste it,” Regina began. “However, I remember how you used to make bread that was so soft and fluffy. It was marvellous, so I was hoping that you can help me.”

Cora understood where Regina was coming from now. With a nod, she walked straight to the kitchen. She may be unable to understand how most of the kitchen appliances work, but she was almost certain that she can help her daughter resolve this. Taking a pinch of the freshly baked bread that Regina had left on the counter to cool, she popped it into her mouth and let the flavours flow over her taste buds.

“The problem lies in your flour. It’s just missing a little something,” Cora then looked into the bag of flour, spreading a little over the table top as she felt the texture.

“We’ll look for better flour tomorrow,” She said with conviction before turning to Zelena. “Now, you were calling for me too?”

“Yes, well, I was wondering what the bag of clothes was doing on my bed.”

“I got them for you,” Cora answered with a proud smile. “Do you like them? I thought the turtleneck brought out the colour of your eyes. You really need to refrain from always wearing black or that dark shade of green, darling.”

Zelena sighed, “Yes, Mother. They would work, were they not clothes from the Men’s section.”

At that, Regina let out a snort, earning her a glare from Cora for the unladylike manner.

“Oh, I hadn’t realised. I’m sorry, dear. I’ll return them tomorrow and get proper ones from the correct section,” Cora frowned. She had been looking forward to seeing her daughter in the clothes she bought. She had no idea that clothes for both genders were this similar in this realm.

Sensing her mother’s disappointment, Zelena quickly added, “It’s alright, Mother. We can do that together tomorrow. We can have a shopping trip for the three of us. The Mills women have got pretty good taste so I’m sure we can find something nice for all of us. It’ll be fun!”

Regina nodded in agreement and Cora broke into a smile.

“Plus Sis can pay with all that money she has,” Zelena then quipped, earning her a glare and a (not so threatening) fireball from Regina.


	10. October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swan-Mills Family celebrates Halloween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Damn, my wife is hot,” Emma says dreamily from where she was perched on the sofa. She was looking back towards the stairs where Regina was standing as she fussed over Henry.

It was Halloween and Emma had been ready for over an hour. However, Henry and Regina had both insisted that they were far from ready. Thus, Emma has been sitting in the living room for the past hour, waiting for her family to ready themselves for trick-or-treating.

Henry had insisted on keeping to a theme. They had decided that this year, the theme would revolve around the Potter-verse. Emma has chosen to keep it simple this time; she was dressed in simple black robes with a Ravenclaw tie and an elaborate wand that Marco had handcrafted for her. In fact, all three of them had a wand each, courtesy of Marco’s skilled workmanship. She was going as Luna Lovegood, but decided that she can easily pass off as a regular Hogwarts student should anyone be unable to recognise her costume. That way, she didn’t have to worry much, right?

Henry was dressed in similar robes, but was wearing a Gryffindor tie and round-rimmed glasses instead. Regina has used an eyebrow pencil to draw the symbolic lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. In Emma’s opinion, he did look rather convincingly like Harry Potter.

Her wife had gone to the trouble of extending the length of her hair, no doubt with magic. Her usual soft curls has become a frizzy mess that gave her the crazed look she had been hoping for. She wore a black leather vest over a corset and a long black skirt. Black gloves and boots topped the look and Regina Mills was now Bellatrix Lestrange. The outfit accentuated her curves and the corset resulted in a prominent display of cleavage. Emma ran her eyes over Regina’s body once more and sighed. Her wife was so damn hot and she couldn’t wait for the night to end, when she would finally have the chance to peel that outfit off Regina’s stunning body.

Regina heard her sigh and looked at her with a raised brow. One glance at Emma and she knew what her wife was thinking of. She narrowed her eyes at Emma and her wife gave her a shrug before walking over to the stairs.

“So, you guys ready?”

“Always,” Henry replied gleefully.

“Okay, great! Let’s go!”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

“Mom! Ma! Hurry up! We still have this entire street to do before going to Grandma’s place!” Henry shouted as he ran ahead to the first house at the end of Mifflin Street. The couple chuckled as they chased after their son. They were supposed to meet Snow and Charming in an hour and thus, had decided to begin trick-or-treating on Mifflin Street before poofing over. Henry had decided that it was okay to use magic for simple stuff like that and poofing would make their costumes more real.

“It will be just like apparating,” he had said.

Standing behind Henry and holding tightly onto each other’s hands, they smiled as they watched their son ring the doorbell to the first house of the night. A redhead opened the door and her eyes widened at the sight of the Evil Queen dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange. Emma could’ve sworn that the woman was frightened (Of Regina, because of the whole ‘Evil Queen’ thing or the costume, she wasn’t sure), for the woman had swiftly handed Henry her entire bowl of candy before shutting the door in their faces.

Henry frowned for a moment, before glancing back at his mothers. Emma stole a worried glance at her wife, who was unaffected by what just happened. When Henry had deemed his mother to be alright, he went back to inspecting his haul.

“You know, Mom, if Bellatrix continues to stand behind Harry for the rest of the night, this may end up to be a rather profitable Halloween,” Henry grinned, hoping that his mother would catch on to his plan.

A glint flashed across Regina’s eyes before she grinned conspiringly at her son. Emma watched the two before exclaiming, “Oh my god. You guys are bad! I like it. Split the candy three-ways after this, Henry?”

Henry nodded and moved on, leaving his mothers to follow behind him. They continued like this down Mifflin Street. Henry was simply in charge of knocking on the doors, and Regina would give her best intimidating look (In the name of being ‘in-character’). Emma simply remained indifferent.

By the time they had reached the end of Mifflin Street, the Swan-Mills family has likely terrorised half of the households living on the street. They were unable to scare some people since many of them were already used to Regina’s presence and were convinced that she has changed for the better.

Snow and Charming were surprised when the trio appeared in their apartment half-an-hour late, arms laden with bags of candy. No questions were required, for all it took, was one look at Regina.


	11. November

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Wait, wait! Are you sure about this?” Emma asked incredulously.

“When am I not sure about anything associated to drinking?” Ruby said with a grin as she began to pour tequila into the six shot glasses.

“And you are okay with this?” Emma looked at Regina with wide eyes.

Regina simply shrugged, “Why not? It certainly looks more interesting than simply taking shots and playing truth or dare.”

“Awesome! You go, Regina,” Ruby cheered. “Now we just have to wait for Snow, Belle and Kathryn to arrive.”

As if on cue, the bell to the mansion rang and Regina went to let the other three women in. They had decided on having a ladies’ night and Ruby had brought along a set of drinking games.

“Shooters and Ladders?” Snow said with a confused look as she glanced at the glass playing board that had been set on the coffee table.

“Just choose your glass, Snow,” Ruby smiled as she chose the red glass. Regina grabbed the one with a black target board sign and Emma selected the yellow glass. Belle hesitated for a moment before choosing the green glass and Kathryn immediately picked the one with the white target board sign after Belle has picked hers. That left the blue glass for Snow, who took it without question.

“Now this game is really simple. It’s just like Snakes and Ladders, with shots. And truth or dare. And stuff,” Ruby grinned as she began to explain the rules to the game. They had to take an extra five minutes to explain how Snakes and Ladders worked to Belle and Kathryn.

They began by rolling the dice to see who went first. It was decided that since Snow had obtained the highest number, she would go first and they would follow in a clockwise direction. Snow rolled the dice again and this time, she rolled a ‘four’. Ruby enthusiastically moved the blue glass to the spot and egged her on.

“Go on, Snow. You know the rules.”

Without hesitating, Snow licked the back of her hand and poured some salt on it. She licked up the salt and downed the shot in one go before sucking on the lime that Ruby offered her. Grinning triumphantly at the other ladies, she returned her shot glass to the spot on the game board to be promptly refilled by Ruby.

The game continued for a few turns until an inebriated Belle had to drop out of the game. She had managed to land herself on most of the shots spots and after five shots, simply could not go on anymore. Ruby removed Belle’s glass from the board and urged Regina to start rolling the dice.

“Ooh, five. Let’s see… One… Two… Three… Four… Five! Ha! Truth or Dare, Your Majesty?” Ruby asked gleefully. She had been waiting the entire night for someone to step on that square and was sorely disappointed when everyone managed to miss the first ‘truth or dare’ spot.

It really wasn’t a question that required much thinking for the former queen.

“Dare, of course.”

“Body shots,” Ruby sang.

“Body shots off any one of your choosing,” She quickly added, earning her a ‘Hey!’ from Emma.

Regina chuckled and shook her head. She had expected this from the wolf. Sidling closer to Emma, she looked meaningfully into Emma’s eyes before sweeping her blonde hair off her shoulders, exposing her neck.

Regina slowly licked the crook of Emma’s neck before pouring salt on it. She then held up a piece of lime towards Emma’s mouth. Emma took it without question and held it there before the brunette licked up the salt from her wife’s neck. Emma let out a soft moan that she couldn’t help let escape and Regina smirked before downing the shot and sucking the lime from Emma’s mouth.

When they parted, Kathryn was fanning herself and grinning at Regina. Ruby pretended to wipe sweat off her forehead before quipping, “Whew! That was some hot stuff!”

Snow, on the other hand, was looking at the couple with horror, her hands covering her ears.


	12. December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 notes.

“Regina,” Emma whined. “Can we decorate the tree now?”

“Yeah, Mom. Can we?” Henry whined along with Emma as the two of them sat in front of the undecorated tree, staring at it.

Regina entered the room with a box filled with ornaments. She smiled when she caught sight of the way Henry and Emma were sitting, cross-legged, next to each other and staring up at the tree.

“Here, _Children._ We can start decorating now,” She teased as she sat the box down next to the tree.

Both Emma and Henry leapt up in delight and began to dig through the box for ornaments.

“How did this come about?” Emma asked, holding up a clay ornament with a tiny footprint that was barely bigger than her palm. Regina took a glance at it and smiled warmly at her girlfriend.

“Henry and I made that. Well, I took the clay and pressed Henry’s foot against it to form the footprint. Henry was barely a few months old then. It was our first Christmas, and I wanted to begin a tradition,” Regina explained as she watched Emma stroke the footprint gently.

“We would make an ornament together each Christmas. Well, at least, before the whole ‘Evil Queen’ thing…” Regina trailed off. Sensing the change in her mood, Emma sidled over and planted a kiss on Regina’s cheek.

“Hey. Show me the others?”

Regina smiled as Henry handed her the next ornament. It was similar to the previous one, except that this had thumbprints instead of the single footprint.

“Henry was slightly over a year old, so I decided to settle for thumbprints. The bigger ones are mine and the tiny ones are his,” Regina smiled fondly at the memory.

“What about this one?” Emma handed her one that caught her interest. It was a slightly deformed apple with several strange circles and lines on it.

Regina laughed when she saw that. “Oh this! Henry was four then. He wanted an apple ornament because I love apples. He went on to impale his Legos on it. He said it was to make the apple look prettier.”

Regina took the time to explain each ornament that she had made with Henry. Her smile fell slightly when they reached the last ornament.

“This was just before Snow gave Henry the book. He had just discovered that he was adopted and…” Regina broke off.

“And I wasn’t happy about it. Mom insisted that we make the ornament as usual, so I pounded my fist in the clay and it resulted in this,” Henry said, his voice laced with regret. He gave his brunette mother a tight hug and held on.

“I’m sorry I was so mean to you, Mommy,” He said.

“It’s okay, darling. You didn’t know any better,” Regina said as she hugged him back. Emma hung up the flat ornament before joining her family in the hug.

“How about this? From this Christmas onwards, we continue the tradition of creating ornaments together. As a family,” Emma suggested.

Regina and Henry looked at her with wide smiles at her suggestion and both of them nodded.

“I’ll go buy the clay,” Regina said.

“Ma and I will get the materials ready!” Henry added enthusiastically.


End file.
